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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26165923">Pretender(s)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/osterac1999/pseuds/osterac1999'>osterac1999</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5+1 Things, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mutual Pining, ahaha, bros into hoes, or should I say proposals?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 02:55:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,465</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26165923</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/osterac1999/pseuds/osterac1999</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>5+1; Five times Oikawa gets tired of pretending. (And one time where Iwaizumi gets tired of pretending, too.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Iwaizumi Hajime &amp; Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>182</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pretender(s)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b>1</b><br/>Hajime had only known Tooru for a few weeks, but at this point, he was prepared to do anything for him. Of course, it would probably not be without complaints and distractions, but if Tooru asked him to run away with him...who was Hajime to say no?</p>
<p>Of course, that didn’t really matter at the moment since they were playing a made-up game about being wizards and defeating whatever “monster” came their way. It was a game they always fell back on after getting out of class for the day. It was their routine.</p>
<p>Tooru stood fierce, completely overtaken by his need to beat a bush with his stick-sword. His hair was basically a rat’s nest; pieces stuck up at odd angles and leaves dispersed throughout. His hands and arms were covered in dirt except for the spots dotted with bandages. (The bandages, coincidentally, were covered in little monster designs.) He wasn’t actually hurt too much, but Hajime had found the bandages in his house and, well, Tooru had <i>insisted</i> on a few being put on his arms, so…</p>
<p>Hajime watched as Tooru hit the bush one last time before dropping the stick altogether. He huffed and turned toward Hajime, who just gave him a questioning look. Tooru just pouted and made his way toward Hajime.</p>
<p>“Hajime…” He whined, collapsing onto said Hajime, who in turn collapsed onto the ground. Tooru was shocked for a moment before he sighed, rolling off of Hajime and onto the grass. “I’m <i>bored.</i>”</p>
<p>Hajime couldn’t comprehend that. He was bored? Bored of beating up monsters and saving the kingdom? How was that boring?</p>
<p>“Bored?” Hajime asked for clarification, pushing himself up to look at Tooru. He still didn’t understand.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” He whined. Tooru whined all the time. “I don’t wanna play this game anymore. I wanna do something else that’s not pretend.”</p>
<p>Hajime wracked his brain for a few moments. Tooru wanted to play something else? Hajime couldn’t say he was <i>bored</i> exactly, but if his friend was, then he’d drop this game immediately. What else did Tooru like?</p>
<p>An idea suddenly struck him. “Wanna play volleyball?”</p>
<p>Tooru immediately gasped and perked up. “Yeah! Hajime you’re so <i>smart</i>! Let’s go get a ball right now!” Tooru immediately jumped up, but he didn’t immediately run off. “C’mon, c’mon! Let’s go!” He yelled as he bounced in place, waiting for Hajime to pull himself off the ground.</p>
<p>Hajime might be willing to follow Tooru anywhere, but Tooru was also willing to wait for him any time.</p>
<p><b>2</b><br/>It didn’t take a particularly well-trained eye to see that Oikawa was struggling. What did take a particularly well-trained eye to see, though, was how much anger he seemed to be carrying with him. It was in the harsh line of his shoulders as he stood up as straight as possible. The slightly blank, far-off look in his eyes. The clawed, twitching hand at his side. The sickly sweet tone he spoke with, even with Hajime. </p>
<p>Hajime could tell that Oikawa was getting close to snapping, but he didn’t know when that snapping point would be. He’d never seen Oikawa this angry. He never seemed to ever <i>actually</i> get mad, but now…</p>
<p>So, Hajime observed. He gently intervened. He kept Oikawa occupied whenever he wasn’t viciously focused on volleyball. </p>
<p>So, Hajime kept calm. He quietly bandaged Oikawa’s sore hands. He took in every slightly tired, almost genuine smile thrown his way.</p>
<p>He really shouldn’t have been surprised that the snapping point came in the form of Kageyama Tobio and his quiet needling of Oikawa. Though,<br/>Hajime himself couldn’t blame Kageyama for all of it. It wasn’t Kageyama who pulled Oikawa out of the game to cool off. It wasn’t Kageyama’s fault that Oikawa was so close to snapping either. Yet, Kageyama’s presence seemed to feed into it and it was Hajime’s fault that he hadn’t seen it coming.</p>
<p>He didn’t think Oikawa did either.</p>
<p>At least, that’s what Hajime took to be the case when he saw the shocked, startled look on Oikawa’s face as he pulled his arm away from Kageyama. Kageyama quickly fled from the gym, leaving only the two of them.</p>
<p>Oikawa stared after Kageyama’s quickly disappearing back. He looked supremely pathetic sitting on the gymnasium floor, surrounded by panels and volleyball nets. The hand not hanging limply from Hajime’s grasp was fisted in his shorts.  The stray volleyballs seemed to be facing the two of them like court subjects and Oikawa—he looked every bit like a fallen monarch. </p>
<p>“What the fuck is your problem?” He yelled, throwing Oikawa’s arm down in the process. Oikawa chose to stare at the ground, seemingly ignoring Hajime. “What, did you think hitting him would make you feel better?”</p>
<p>In lieu of an actual answer, Oikawa said, “I’m tired, Iwa-chan.”</p>
<p>Hajime froze at the almost lifeless tone of his voice. He took a deep breath.  He had to focus here. </p>
<p>“Tired of what, Oikawa?” He asked, crouching down to where Oikawa sat. He still refused to look at him.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Oikawa’s head snapped up and he glared at Hajime, who was entranced by the fierce anger in his eyes and the tears welling in their corners. “I’m tired of pretending I’m fine with all of this,” he hissed, slowly struggling to stand up. It was almost pitiful how long it took. “I’m tired of acting like <i>he’s</i> not better than me. I don’t want to keep going on and on until I burn out. I am so fucking <i>sick</i> of trying to improve and getting nowhere because some absolute <i>genius</i> is already there.”</p>
<p>Hajime was frozen for a moment as Oikawa raved below him. He had to admit there was some part of him that relished in seeing Oikawa’s loss of composure. The other parts of him beat that part with a stick. No time for awe.</p>
<p>“It’s not all about you,” Hajime interrupted, getting to his feet far easier than Oikawa had. That seemed to shock him out of his reverie. “There are six players on the court. The six best win, that’s the bottom line. If you want to beat Kageyama and everyone else, then find a team and make them stronger.”</p>
<p>Oikawa glared at him. “You make it sound so easy,” he said, finally, genuinely looking Hajime in the eyes. “I can’t just do that on my own.”</p>
<p>“It won’t be easy,” he agreed easily. “And who said you’d be doing it on your own?”</p>
<p>They stared at each other for a moment before Oikawa broke into a small, easy smile. It really softened his whole demeanor. “Thank you, Iwa-chan.”</p>
<p><b>3</b><br/>Ever since they had entered high school, Oikawa had somehow managed to attract a sizable crowd of girls, who called themselves his fans. Hajime wasn’t exactly sure what being a fan entailed, but he was pretty sure hanging off of your idol at any given opportunity wasn’t part of that. Had none of them ever heard of personal space?</p>
<p>Oikawa didn’t seem to know what to do with himself. Before it had escalated to the point of hanging off him, he seemed to enjoy the attention a lot. He even welcomed it. He accepted their sighs and cheers of admiration without batting an eye. It wasn’t until their second year at Aoba Johsai that Hajime noticed how uncomfortable it made Oikawa. </p>
<p>He always noticed the tinkling, fake laugh that was given at their pathetic attempts at flirting and jokes; as well as Oikawa’s tendency to inch toward Hajime the longer the conversation went on.</p>
<p>With how much the two of them hung out, Hajime wasn’t exactly surprised that he was always around for the confessions Oikawa was seemingly plagued with. The steps to escaping a confession were as follows:</p>
<p>1) Listen patiently as the girl rambled on about how impressive/handsome/striking/powerful/cute/sexy he was at all times of day<br/>2) Accept any personalized gifts offered to him<br/>3) Gently explain that he wasn’t interested in a relationship because of XYZ<br/>4) Watch quietly as the girl started crying and wiping away her tears<br/>5) Pat her gently on the shoulder and give her a warm smile<br/>6) Quickly and inconspicuously walk away from the classroom/hallway/yard</p>
<p>Of course, the plan didn’t always go smoothly. Some people were more insistent. Like this one, for example. It wasn’t too shocking that Oikawa would attract the attention of the transfer student, Grayson Tiffany. She was a little louder than most of the other students, a little more up-front. </p>
<p>So far, everything seemed to be according to plan. Oikawa had successfully made it through steps one and two while Hajime uneasily stewed in jealousy. Not at the confession Oikawa was getting, but rather the fact that it wasn’t Hajime who mustered up the courage to say it. He couldn’t say he was jealous of how often they got turned down, though. He’d rather die than confess to Oikawa in an empty hallway only to be rebuffed.</p>
<p>Grayson didn’t seem to comprehend step three of the plan, though. </p>
<p>“Well, Tiffany-chan, I’m really flattered, but I’m not really interested in a relationship–” Oikawa started, backing half a step away from her. He smiled benignly at her and Hajime rolled his eyes. Couldn’t she take a hint?</p>
<p>“You’re not gonna say it’s because of volleyball?” Grayson asked, cocking her head to the side. She had a wolfish grin on her face. “Or your studies, right?” Oikawa looked at her blankly in shock. “Someone as talented and hardworking as you shouldn’t have to use those as an excuse.” She rested a hand on his arm and batted her eyelashes at him. Hajime scoffed. Ugh.</p>
<p>She whipped around at his scoff and raised an eyebrow. (There was also the added bonus of her not touching Oikawa anymore.) He took a moment to take her in. She was cute, he supposed. She had a confident air that could match Oikawa’s on any given day. She could be a good match for him if she learned how to cut her losses.</p>
<p>“What’s <i>he</i> doing here, anyway? Aren’t confessions meant to be <i>private</i>?” She asked, glaring up at Hajime. He had to fight the urge to stick his tongue out at her. “What, can’t accept a confession because your boyfriend keeps you on a leash?”</p>
<p>The three of them stood in silence for a moment. There was a palpable tension in the air. Clearly, she had overstepped some invisible boundary.</p>
<p>Of all the people present, of course, it was Oikawa who broke the silence. He sent Grayson a strained smile. “Thank you for the confession, Tiffany-chan, but we really have to get to volleyball practice. Bye!”</p>
<p>Oikawa grabbed Hajime’s hand and rushed down the hallway. It was only after they left the building that Hajime realized that they didn’t even have volleyball practice today.</p>
<p>Hajime let himself be dragged toward who-knows-where for several minutes before speaking up. “Oikawa,” he tried, attempting to get his attention. He was steadfastly ignored and he tried again a few moments later. “Oikawa.” Ignored again. “<i>Tooru.</i>”</p>
<p>At the sound of his given name, Oikawa fumbled to a halt, dropping Hajime’s arm in the process. He looked around and discovered they were outside the park that sat right in between their houses and Aoba Johsai. He couldn’t see Oikawa’s face, but he could guess how upset he was by the tense line of his shoulders. </p>
<p>Hajime switched their positions and started dragging Oikawa toward the park, toward a bench that they could sit at. He couldn’t even take in the scenery around them, much less breathe. After a minute or two, he managed to find a quiet area of the park with only a few people scattered around. He gently pushed Oikawa onto the bench and stood in front of him, silently waiting for him to speak.</p>
<p>At first, Oikawa refused to look anywhere near Hajime. He resolutely ignored Hajime’s raised eyebrow. Hajime took the opportunity to take him in, no one around to interrupt.</p>
<p>Oikawa was hunched over, hands coming together to cover his mouth as he glared a hole into the ground. The tense line had disappeared from his shoulders, only to be replaced by a droop that Hajime wasn’t used to seeing—arguably worse than the tension. His foot was tapping an irregular rhythm into the ground as if he was attempting to tap out two songs as once. The smiling, oblivious Oikawa of yesteryears was no more, replaced with an Oikawa that oozed anxiousness and self-doubt.</p>
<p>Hajime didn’t like this new Oikawa.</p>
<p><i>But is this really new?</i> He had to ask himself. It had been so much easier this year to identify when Oikawa was uncomfortable and itching to leave a place. Too easy. Last year it would have taken Hajime twice as long. </p>
<p>Something about what Grayson had said left Oikawa shaken, but it wasn’t because it was something <i>new.</i></p>
<p>“What’s going on with you?” He found himself muttering, turned almost halfway away from Oikawa. </p>
<p>“I don’t want to do this anymore,” Oikawa sighed out, still refusing to look up. </p>
<p>He hadn’t been expecting any sort of answer from him. Maybe looking away from him had allowed him to gain some modicum of self-confidence. Whatever it was, he didn’t wait for Hajime to respond. </p>
<p>“I’m tired of not being allowed to be myself.”</p>
<p>Hajime almost laughed. Oikawa, not allowed to be himself? Hajime, the team, the whole <i>school</i> let him do as he pleased. But maybe, if he kept thinking along those same lines, he’d trap Oikawa in the same place every other person had. </p>
<p>When it became clear that Oikawa wasn’t going to continue on his own, Hajime prompted him. “What are you pretending to be then?”</p>
<p>Oikawa huffed, pulling his hands apart and pushing the heels of them into his eyes. “Someone who cares about all this confession stuff. Someone worth other people’s time.” He paused for a moment, seemingly debating what he was going to say. He finally glanced up at Hajime, who was immediately caught on how beautiful his eyes were. Not for their color, but rather for everything he saw hidden there. Every emotion that was kept carefully guarded in front of others, bared just for Hajime to see. Oikawa finally finished his internal debate. “Straight.”</p>
<p>That, of course, pulled Hajime right out of his thoughts on Oikawa’s eyes and immediately crashing into a mental wall of <i>Straight?</i></p>
<p>Oikawa seemed to take his being struck dumb as a sort of a snub because he immediately put on a smile. A too-shallow, too-dim smile. He stood up quickly from the bench, narrowly avoiding colliding with Hajime.</p>
<p>“Well, Iwa-chan, thanks so <i>much</i> for listening, but I–” before he could even attempt to make an excuse or escape, Hajime reached out and grabbed his wrist.</p>
<p>“I—wait, I—<i>shit</i>,” he scrambled over what he wanted to say and cursed his stupid, dumbstruck tongue. </p>
<p><i>This is what you’ve been waiting for,</i> a part of him hissed, nudging his brain into taking some form of action.</p>
<p>“Me too,” He finally managed to say. Oikawa looked like he wanted to interrupt, to say something, but Hajime wouldn’t let him. “I’m gay,” He finished lamely.</p>
<p>“Oh,” Oikawa said, his arm completely limp in Hajime’s grasp now. </p>
<p>Instead of focusing on his own and Oikawa’s emotional inadequacies, Hajime rolled his eyes and started tugging him toward their homes. “Yeah, ‘oh.’ Honestly, Shittykawa, what did you expect?”</p>
<p>Oikawa immediately pouted, knocked right out of his bad mood. “You don’t have to be so mean, Iwa-chan! That should’ve been a heartfelt moment and you just–” he threw his free arm around in a vague gesture. “You just made it <i>normal</i>.”</p>
<p>Hajime smirked. “Is it not meant to be normal?”</p>
<p>Oikawa stuck his tongue out at him. “No, it’s–” he groaned, throwing his free arm over his eyes. “You’re supposed to say, ‘Oh, Oikawa, this changes nothing! We’ll always be best friends!’ Not one-up me on my own coming out! Honestly!”</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Oikawa’s arm was still covering his face. “We’ll always be best friends. You happy now?”</p>
<p>He peeked out from under his arm and grinned. “Very.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Coming out to each other hadn’t really changed their dynamic at all, but it did give Hajime a bit more insight into why Oikawa rejected every girl that came his way. Hajime hadn’t seen any guys attempt a confession and, selfishly, Hajime hoped it stayed that way.</p>
<p>Well, saying it changed nothing at all would be a bit of a lie.</p>
<p>Oikawa was definitely more clingy than he’d been before. A little more forthcoming with his affection. Of course, that was mostly reserved for when the two of them were alone, but Hajime wasn’t about to complain. His stupid reptilian brain cherished every ounce of affection thrown his way, making his heart beat erratically and his breath slightly pick up.</p>
<p>The slightly more rational, but nonetheless enamored, part of his brain screamed <b>HOPE.</b> </p>
<p>One of these slightly more affectionate moments happened while Hajime was booting up his laptop so they could watch some random horror movie that had caught Oikawa’s interest. Apparently it was one of those home invasion types.</p>
<p>As Hajime listened to his laptop’s fans have an aneurysm, Oikawa, who was sitting just behind him, wrapped his arms around Hajime’s stomach and rested his forehead on his left shoulder. Despite his heart now also trying to have an aneurysm, Hajime managed to not jolt. They sat and listened to Hajime’s laptop dying for a few more minutes before Oikawa spoke up.</p>
<p>“Iwa-chan,” he started, tightening his hold on Hajime marginally. “Can I tell you something?”</p>
<p>In lieu of answering, Hajime hummed and leaned into Oikawa’s hold. That seemed to ease whatever fears he had since Oikawa started rambling.</p>
<p>“I just—I want to be honest with you, Iwa-chan. I feel like I just keep coming up with excuses not to say anything, even though my best chances are <i>right now.</i> And, yeah, duh, I know saying this won’t change anything because you are <i>literally</i> letting me cuddle you right now. And I know you’re definitely thinking, ‘Wow, Oikawa, why are you being such an idiot? Just say it.’ Like, yeah, I <i>know</i> Iwa-chan!”</p>
<p>Hajime didn’t want to get ahead of himself, but his entire brain was screaming <b>HOPE!!</b> So instead, he just laughed at Oikawa’s increasing frantic rambling. “I am thinking that.”</p>
<p>Oikawa squeezed his tightly and dug his forehead further into his shoulder. “I know, Iwa-chan. That’s why I said it.”</p>
<p>“Then you know what I’d say in response, right?” He asked sincerely.</p>
<p>After several moments, Oikawa finally answered. “I never really know what you’re thinking, Iwa-chan, but I think I do, yeah.” </p>
<p>“Then go ahead,” he pushed, glancing at Oikawa out of the corner of his eye. He looked cute huddled against his back. He really hoped he was right about this. “Tell me.”</p>
<p>“I really like you, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa finally said, only pausing for a moment before adding, “And you like me, too.”</p>
<p>There was a tense moment of silence before Hajime laughed, startling Oikawa, causing him to unlatch from his back. </p>
<p>“I was right,” Hajime said, turning to face Oikawa for the first time since he started speaking. He was staring owlishly at Hajime, bright eyes capturing every movement he made. </p>
<p>Oikawa blinked before smirking. “I think you mean, <i>I</i> was right.”</p>
<p>Hajime rolled his eyes. “Semantics,” he said with a wave of his hand. “We both like each other, so that’s a win either way, right?” He asked, to which Oikawa smiled brightly before leaning toward Hajime. </p>
<p>“Oh, <i>definitely</i>,” he answered, bringing up a hand to cup Hajime’s cheek.</p>
<p><b>4</b><br/>Hajime felt very smug, mainly because he had yet again earned the right to call Tooru <i>Tooru</i>. He now had very exclusive boyfriend rights and he would definitely die if Tooru figured out he referred to them as that. Ever since their mutual confession, they’d steadily eased into the whole boyfriend dynamic, which honestly wasn’t too different from how they usually act, just more...intimate.</p>
<p>Of course, most of the time the way they acted was very much in private. It wasn’t even really a conscious decision on their part—they just didn’t act any different than they usually did in public. Tooru was the same amount of clingy as always; he still threw himself over Hajime’s shoulders with abandon; he still dramatically threw himself into his lap. </p>
<p>It left Hajime wondering—what were they hiding for? Or, even, <i>were</i> they hiding? They’d been dating officially for about a month at this point—they weren’t being sneaky. Did their friends and teammates really not notice how much sweeter their interactions had become? How much affection he slipped into Tooru’s nicknames?</p>
<p>He had come to the conclusion that their friends were extremely stupid. So, so stupid. Case in point: this conversation Hajime was, unfortunately, being pulled back into.</p>
<p>“-zumi! Iwaizumi-kun,” Hanamaki sang, jabbing a finger into Hajime’s shoulder. He was almost able to drown him out completely again until Hanamaki trilled in a poor imitation of Tooru, “Iwa-chan!” </p>
<p>Hajime head immediately snapped up, causing Hanamaki to reel back. “<i>Don’t</i> call me that,” he snapped, leaning away from Hanamaki’s still lingering hands.</p>
<p>Of course, Matsukawa immediately jumped on his loss of composure. “Oh…?” He drawled, practically laying atop the table to glance up at Hajime. “Is only the great Oikawa-san allowed to call you that?”</p>
<p>Hajime huffed, willing a blush away. He would not be embarrassed by them. “I don’t want anyone calling me that.”</p>
<p>“So prickly, Iwa-chan,” Hanamaki called out as he avoided Hajime’s swipe.</p>
<p>Matsukawa pulled up from his place atop the table and leaned on an elbow, asking, “is there anything else that only Oikawa can do?”</p>
<p>Hajime was about to answer with something along the lines of <i>shut the fuck up</i>, but sadly Tooru had the worst timing known to man.</p>
<p>“What can only Oikawa do?” Tooru asked, settling into the seat right next to Hajime, and tilted his head toward Matsukawa. When he didn’t receive an immediate response, he asked, “hm, Mattsun?”</p>
<p>Apparently Hajime’s death glare only worked for a few seconds or those two morons were completely immune to it. </p>
<p>Hanamaki gallivanted over to Tooru’s side and threw an arm over his shoulder, pulling him (reluctantly) from Hajime’s side. “I’m so glad you asked, Oikawa! We were wondering if there was–“ he leaped away from Tooru to avoid Hajime’s fist, “–<i>anything</i> only our local drama queen could do in regards to our precious Iwa-chan.”</p>
<p>Tooru stared at Hanamaki blankly as the two of them snickered. Hajime just wanted to disappear. This isn’t how he wanted to spend the remainder of his lunch. He wanted to sit next to Tooru, maybe catch his hand under the table and hold it, <i>not</i> think about how fucking stupid their best friends were. </p>
<p><i>Just one day,</i> he begged anything listening, <i>just one goddamn day.</i></p>
<p>Tooru was seemingly still contemplating his answer, tapping a finger against his bottom lip. His eyebrows were scrunched up a bit and Hajime couldn’t stop himself from thinking how cute that looked. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a sudden squeeze and he forced his eyes to not trail down and to look directly at Tooru. He was practically pleading with his eyes and, for a moment, Hajime had no idea why.</p>
<p>He raised an eyebrow to ask, <i>what? What are you trying to tell me?</i></p>
<p>Tooru responded, biting his lip and glancing toward Hanamaki and Matsukawa. <i>Can we tell them?</i> His nervous expression asked.</p>
<p>Hajime’s expression twisted and he frowned at Tooru, an <i>are you sure?</i> clear.</p>
<p>Instead of continuing their elaborate facial communication, he responded verbally with, “they haven’t gotten it, Iwa-chan, it’s boring waiting!”</p>
<p>Matsukawa cut in before Hajime could respond, “completely ignoring whatever the hell that was—which we <i>will</i> come back to—what are you even talking about?”</p>
<p>Hanamaki gave an agreeing hum, nodding his head. “Yeah, that was weird as shit. What haven’t we gotten?”</p>
<p>Tooru, unsurprisingly, completely ignored them, and pleaded with Hajime. He clasped their hands together and brought them toward his heart. “Please, Iwa-chan? <i>Please?</i>” The <i>I don’t want to hide it anymore</i> went unsaid.</p>
<p>Hajime huffed out a laugh and cuffed Tooru gently on the head, earning him a pitiful whine. “I don’t remember ever saying we couldn’t tell anyone, Shittykawa.” He almost broke into a smile just saying the nickname. <i>How</i> had they not noticed?</p>
<p>Tooru blinked. “You’re right,” he whispered, almost reverently. </p>
<p>With a flourish, Tooru pulled Hajime forward, whose hands were still trapped between his, and turned toward Matsukawa and Hanamaki, still waiting for whatever truth Tooru was supposed to reveal. </p>
<p>“No final guesses?” Hajime asked, stalling the moment only to piss Tooru off, who huffed.</p>
<p>“They don’t get any guesses. If they couldn’t figure it out in a month, they won’t figure it out in the next ten seconds.”</p>
<p>“I take offense to that!” Hanamaki cried, slamming a fist against the table.</p>
<p>Matsukawa only said, “yeah, that’s fair.”</p>
<p>As much as Hajime wanted to be a little shit and unceremoniously spill their ‘secret’, much in the same fashion as their coming out to each other, he let Tooru have this moment. In all his overdramatic glory.</p>
<p>Tooru sighed dramatically, releasing one of Hajime’s hands to throw it over his forehead, eyes completely shut. “Well, Mattsun, Makki, in all of your best friend glory, you’ve failed to notice the <i>momentous</i> and absolutely <i>groundbreaking</i> event that transpired but a mere month ago…” Matsukawa tried to interrupt, but Tooru’s eyes snapped open and he pointed an accusing finger at him, sweeping it over to Hanamaki, too. “You, our best friends in the entire world, irreplaceable members of this very group, failed to notice that me and Iwa-chan are, <i>in fact</i>, dating now.”</p>
<p>Matsukawa and Hanamaki stared blankly at Tooru. Tooru, for his credit, kept his dramatics up. “I know, I know. Hold your applause and your jealousy.”</p>
<p>“Who are they meant to be jealous of?” Hajime asked, bringing up the hand still clasped around his to his lips in a chaste kiss.</p>
<p>That was the straw that broke the camel’s back and they both rushed to put whatever thoughts they had to words.</p>
<p>“Wait, wait, <i>wait</i>–“ Hanamaki smacked at Matsukawa’s shoulder, who sat staring blankly at Hajime and Tooru. “Are you—for real?”</p>
<p>Tooru huffed and flicked his wrist dismissively. “I’m not sure I like that tone, Makki.”</p>
<p>“Oikawa, are you being serious right now? You—you are so ridiculous. Like, goddamn, dude.”</p>
<p>Hajime wasn’t sure if he was trying to help or hurt himself.</p>
<p>Matsukawa, seemingly immune to the increasing noise from Tooru and Hanamaki, turned his attention toward Hajime.</p>
<p>“Has it really only been a month?” He asked.</p>
<p>Hajime tugged sharply as Tooru tried to fling their interlocked hands at Hanamaki. “Yeah, surprisingly. What, did you expect longer or shorter?”</p>
<p>Matsukawa hummed, tapping a finger on the table. “Longer, honestly. With Oikawa’s dramatic reveal and all.”</p>
<p>Hajime hummed as Tooru whined. Hajime rubbed a placating circle onto his hand. “I think he was bored of waiting.”</p>
<p>A lot of things remained unsaid.</p>
<p><b>5</b><br/>Those previously mentioned and well-loved boyfriend rights? Well, they didn’t change the fact that it was Hajime’s job to help Tooru after a particularly grueling match. Even if he, himself, was feeling about the same.</p>
<p>Their third year hadn’t been kind to them. It would’ve been something else if Shiratorizawa had beaten them again, but it was Karasuno this time. And, well, Hajime couldn’t say he wasn’t proud of how far Kageyama had come, but he also knew Tooru’s very <i>specific</i> thoughts on ‘Tobio-chan’.</p>
<p>Hajime had been waiting days for Tooru to finally crack. To the untrained eye, he seemed perfectly fine. He was still leading volleyball practices, offering up helpful advice and practically training Yahaba at the new first-string server and captain. But Hajime couldn’t help but catch the moments where something painful flashed across his face when he thought he’d turned fully away from everyone. Or the fact that he hit the ball with slightly more force than necessary when he served, scattering the other side. With Tooru, it was always the little things because that bastard was too good at hiding for his own good.</p>
<p>So, Hajime let him be. At this point, it wouldn’t help to push. He already knew Tooru was frustrated and sad, and Tooru knew that he knew, too. Let him come around at his own pace.</p>
<p>Therefore, he really shouldn’t have been shocked when he was woken up at 2 am by a call from Tooru. That didn’t help his own frustration or inability to form actual thoughts, though.</p>
<p>Hajime had randomly woken up from a very successful sleep and, when he realized that sleep would continue to evade him, he ended up messing around with his phone, checking any late-night notifications from the group chat he had with Tooru, Matsukawa, and Hanamaki. He was watching a pretty stupid Tiktok when his phone started buzzing, a picture of a xenomorph overtaking the screen. Hajime stared blankly at the picture, barely registering the accompanying <i>Tooru</i>. His shock lasted almost too long, up until the second to last ring. Somehow, he snapped out of his stupor at the last second and scrambled to pick up the phone, almost throwing it off the bed on accident. The charger it was still connected to saved it from a grisly death and Hajime shoved the phone next to his ear.</p>
<p>“Tooru?” He asked softly, not sure whether it was due to his parents in the next room or the time of night. He listened for a moment and could hear faint breathing on the other end. “Tooru?” He asked again, curling his fingers more tightly around the phone. The case gave an ominous creak.</p>
<p>Tooru took a shaky breath. Then, again, silence. Hajime almost asked after him again before Tooru spoke.</p>
<p><i>”Hajime–“</i> his voice broke and he tried fruitlessly to clear his throat. Hajime could practically hear the tears streaming down his face. <i>”Hajime, I need—can you—</i>fuck, <i>can I come over?”</i> Tooru finally managed to ask, voice becoming gradually stuffier.</p>
<p>Hajime let out a minuscule sigh of relief. “Sure, I’ll go unlock the door.”</p>
<p>Hajime expected him to hang up right away, but Tooru hesitated. <i>”I...Thank you, Hajime.”</i> With that, he hung up, only the click to keep Hajime company.</p>
<p>Hajime stared at his bright screen. Well. He hadn’t expected that. He didn’t really have time to dwell on that, though, since Tooru would be there very soon and would probably be more upset if Hajime kept him waiting outside for even five seconds too long. And, really, the last thing he wanted to do was add onto Tooru’s stress. With that resolute thought, Hajime made his way downstairs and unlocked his front door, leaning against the wall next to it to wait. After about ten minutes of waiting and messing around with his phone, he heard the tell-tale sounds of the doorknob twisting. He kept his position against the wall, watching as Tooru let himself in, the glow of the porch light casting deep shadows over him.</p>
<p>Still waiting, Hajime watched as Tooru toed off his shoes and whispered a faint, “sorry for the intrusion.”</p>
<p>They both stood frozen for a minute, taking each other in. Hajime could see the tear tracts etched onto Tooru’s face and, considering the late-night call, he couldn’t say it surprised him. Without a word, Hajime turned and headed back upstairs, knowing Tooru would follow.</p>
<p>Even though it was routine whenever Tooru cried, Hajime still felt cold not reaching out and offering comfort. Tooru, he had discovered over many years of friendship, hated when people touched him while he cried—well, genuinely cried. It took Hajime the longest time to distinguish between genuine and crocodile tears. As with everything with Tooru, subtleties meant everything. The biting of his lip, the way his nails dug into his palms, the scrunch of his eyebrows. Hajime didn’t really need the signs, though, since Tooru would slap away any hands that reached to comfort him. He would snap angrily at the offending person and cross his arms protectively over his chest. After he finally began actually crying, there was no subtlety to Oikawa Tooru.</p>
<p>After reentering his room, Hajime made his way toward his closet and dug out one of his largest hoodies, wordlessly placing it onto the bed. With a satisfied nod, he grabbed one of his blankets and wrapped it around himself before he sat himself at his desk. Tooru easily took the bed, silently pulling the hoodie over himself and snuggling into the large comforter Hajime had left behind. After a few moments of silence, Hajime could tell that Tooru was getting slightly impatient, picking at the end of the comforter. Regardless, Hajime let the silence drag on, knowing Tooru’s impatience was with himself.</p>
<p>Tooru finally let out a loud sigh and finally turned toward Hajime. </p>
<p>“Were we ever good enough?” He asks, shoulders hunched and eyes downcast. He finally stopped picking at the comforter and fisted his sweatpants, stretching the fabric a dangerous amount. “If we had a million chances, would we have beaten Shiratorizawa?”</p>
<p>Even though Tooru’s question was relatively simple, Hajime couldn’t help but see the depth beneath it. This wasn’t a question or the team at all. The “we” was more of an afterthought. </p>
<p>Hajime was about to answer with a <i>what are you thinking?</i> or an <i>of course we would have!</i> or even a <i>why are you questioning us now?</i>, but instead his mouth settled on, “what’s this really about, Tooru?”</p>
<p>Hajime rolled his chair, rather pathetically, over to his bed and toward Tooru. </p>
<p>“I can never get on past you, huh, Hajime?” Tooru asked while Hajime pried his hands away from his sweatpants. “Always knowing when I’m pretending.”</p>
<p>Hajime took Tooru’s hand in his own. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You don’t make it hard.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure there are at least five people who would disagree with you on principle.”</p>
<p>Hajime rolled his eyes and finally crawled onto the bed, resting against the headboard. Somehow, he managed to keep a tight grip on Tooru’s hand throughout his maneuvering. “And <i>I’m</i> sure that I don’t give a shit.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” Tooru said before he paused. Hajime knew the moment had come. “I don’t think I was ever good enough to beat Shiratorizawa. Losing to Karasuno just proves that.”</p>
<p>With a sigh, Hajime tugged sharply on Tooru, causing him to fall onto Hajime. “What have I been telling you? It’s not all just <i>you</i>-”</p>
<p>Tooru jabbed a hand into his side and seemed to get momentary satisfaction from his pained grunt. “I know that, you <i>moron.</i> I’m saying I wasn’t strong enough for you all.”</p>
<p>Hajime’s brain came to a crashing halt. <i>How-</i></p>
<p>“-fucking stupid are you?” He asked, shoving Tooru down onto the bed. He planted both of his hands on either side of his head and leaned down, noses almost touching. “I’m gonna need you to get your head out of your ass, Tooru. Can you do that?”</p>
<p>Pouting up at him, Tooru said, “I’m not sure how practically kissing me is gonna do that.”</p>
<p>Hajime closed the tiny distance between them and pecked Tooru on the lips. “It’s called a distraction,” he finally said. “Ever heard of it?”</p>
<p>Tooru hummed and brought his hands up to cup Hajime’s face. He smiled fondly. “Maybe once or twice.”</p>
<p>“Good because we’re coming back to that.” At Tooru’s confused expression, he laughed. “You thought I was just gonna let your self-deprecating thoughts go? Fat chance.” </p>
<p>What was the best way to go about this? He needed—well, honestly, Hajime wasn’t exactly sure what he <i>needed</i> to do, but he desperately wanted Tooru to escape the mentality that he wasn’t enough. That he couldn’t improve.</p>
<p>“The six strongest on the court win, right?” He waited for Tooru’s confused, hesitant nod. “And that wasn’t us, <i>but</i>–” Tooru opened his mouth to interrupt, but Hajime rushed to continue before he could derail the conversation again. “–but that doesn’t mean you’re weak. You’ll improve, Tooru. You were never one to let defeat stop you, so why now? What, do you think you can’t reach their level? Do you think they’re more dedicated than you? <i>No one</i> is more dedicated to this sport than you. You’ll get better, you’ll become <i>amazing</i>, and you’ll crush them.”</p>
<p>Tooru stared blankly at Hajime, who decided to end his rant with one last thought. </p>
<p>“You’re the partner that I can be proud of, y’know?”</p>
<p>Tooru immediately teared up and he yelled out a strangled <i>Hajime!</i> before he pulled Hajime’s face down to his in a fierce, all-encompassing kiss. Hajime allowed himself to get lost in it for about a minute before he pulled away.</p>
<p>“Got it?” He asked, resting on his elbows, still above Tooru.</p>
<p>Tooru hummed, a soft smile on his face. “As long as you’re my partner, too.”</p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p>
  <b>6</b>
</p>
<p>Tooru had planned his proposal <i>perfectly</i>. Picture this:</p>
<p>The players: Oikawa Tooru, pretty as always, setter for Club Atlético San Juan, lovingly devoted boyfriend (soon to be fiancé) to Iwaizumi Hajime. Iwaizumi Hajime, ruggedly handsome, student studying sports science at Irvine, secretly doting boyfriend (soon to be <i>fiancé!!!!</i>) to Oikawa Tooru.</p>
<p>The scene: Minutes before dusk sets in, the sky painted in a fading orange, blue and purple gently overtaking it. The sand beneath their feet is still warm, a kiss and reminder of the now-gone sun. The two of them stand right where the water laps onto the beach. A gentle breeze ruffles their hair, nudging them closer together.</p>
<p>The <i>dialogue</i>:</p>
<p><b>Tooru:</b> (He gets down on one knee) Iwaizumi Hajime-</p>
<p><b>Hajime:</b> (He punches <i>Tooru’s</i> shoulder lightly) Are you being serious right now?</p>
<p><b>Tooru:</b> I’m always serious! Especially about how much I love you. (He ignores <i>Hajime’s</i> snort) As I was saying—Iwaizumi Hajime, you are the love of my life. Every day I wake up thinking that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You’ve always been my rock, someone I can go to when I begin to doubt myself. (He starts crying) We’ve always been together and let’s continue to be together. Hajime, marry me?</p>
<p><b>Hajime:</b> (He discreetly wipes a tear away) Of course.</p>
<p>Ugh, <i>swoon!</i></p>
<p>That would have been perfect, if not for a variable Tooru hadn’t been aware he needed to account for: Hajime himself.</p>
<p>Though, if he were being genuinely honest with himself, he should have expected his perfect proposal to be ruined by his own boyfriend. Rude, but to be expected.</p>
<p>The first thing that went wrong was the location. Which is to say: not a beautiful beach in Argentina.</p>
<p>Tooru has decided to visit Hajime at his university following the start of his off-season. It wasn’t a big <i>we’ve been planning this meeting for five months and nothing is going to ruin the time I spend with you</i>; rather, it was a <i>I know I just saw you last month but I really want to see you again immediately.</i> Either way, Tooru was going to see Hajime and he was going to enjoy every last second of it.</p>
<p>Hajime had just picked Tooru up from the airport with a car he’d specifically, and without telling Tooru the reason for, rented out for his visit. Of course, Tooru wasn’t going to complain because that meant he didn’t have to drag his awfully heavy suitcase onto the (lacking) public buses. He also didn’t have to be sent careening into an angry American due to a sudden stop (again). Hajime was the perfect gentleman, too—he carefully lifted Tooru’s suitcase into the trunk and even opened the door for him. If he were any less trusting of his Iwa-chan he would have suspected that something was very wrong. </p>
<p>Hajime drove them back to his dorm and affixed the parking pass onto the window. After that, they spent the night in while Tooru recovered from jet lag. Hajime even cooked for him, which—ugh. Perfect man.</p>
<p>What finally tipped him off that something was amiss was how weird Hajime was acting the next morning. </p>
<p>Tooru had managed to finally drag himself out of bed around 11 am and he wanted nothing more than to drink one sip of black coffee before immediately passing out again. What he saw when he entered the shared kitchen of Hajime’s dorm was, decidedly, <i>not</i> that. </p>
<p>There Hajime was <i>making pancakes.</i> That’s not to Hajime can’t cook something as simple as pancakes but—why? Hajime never cooked for Tooru if he could avoid it.</p>
<p>Tooru took a hesitant step forward, clinging onto the doorframe. “Hi, Iwa-chan,” He called out, fingers digging into the frame. “What’re you doing?”</p>
<p>Hajime jumped and fumbled with the spatula, almost dropping it onto the nasty floor. “<i>Oh</i>, uh, nothing special. Just thought I’d make you breakfast,” he answered, flipping the pancake easily as he glanced back at Tooru. “How’d you sleep?”</p>
<p>“Better, if you’d stayed there longer and let me sleep in,” Tooru answered petulantly. He finally moved away from the doorframe and made his way to Hajime. He wrapped his arms around him and leaned into his back. “What’d I do to deserve Iwa-chan serving me breakfast?”</p>
<p>Hajime snorted. “What, do I need a reason to make you breakfast?”</p>
<p>“<i>Duh</i>,” Tooru punctuated with an eye-roll, “you never cook for me if you can avoid it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hajime placed the final pancake onto the serving platter and quickly turned off the burner. “While that may be true,” he said, placing the plate in the center of the table, “I missed you, so. Enjoy.”</p>
<p>Tooru snatched up Hajime’s hand before it could get too far away. He sent him a warm smile, which contrasted what he said, “I still don’t trust you.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just eat so we can get going.”</p>
<p>His knife paused right before it could cut into the pancake, but only for a second before his own hunger won out. He cut off a large chunk and shoved it into his mouth. “Go?” He asked around the food in his mouth. </p>
<p>Hajime made a disgusted face. “Don’t talk with your mouth full, Stupidkawa. And, yes, <i>go</i>. We’ve got plans.”</p>
<p>Tooru chewed slowly, thinking over Hajime’s words. Plans? Iwa-chan? Iwa-chan going out of his way to make plans and not tell Tooru? That was all very suspicious <i>but</i> he also loved when Hajime surprised him. Finally, he swallowed and gave Hajime a bright grin.</p>
<p>He could push away his suspicions for now.</p>
<p>The second thing that tipped him off was the nature of these surprise plans. Hajime was taking him out to places that wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for other couples, but for them were…weird. These places were almost grossly romantic. The types of places Tooru dragged Hajime to once in a blue moon to indulge in the traditional couple aesthetic, complete with pictures together to commemorate the date. Hajime knew he enjoyed them and Tooru knew that he hated them.</p>
<p>They started by window shopping—not overtly suspicious by any means, but it was weird that Hajime wasn’t complaining about how frequently Tooru was stopping them to fawn over something in the window. </p>
<p>“Oh, Iwa-chan! Look!” He pointed into the second-hand game shop they were passing. He flapped his hand toward the Godzilla plush resting in the corner of the window. “It’s so cute.”</p>
<p>He turned toward Hajime, an expectant look on his face. Only, Hajime’s expression itself was completely unreadable. </p>
<p>“Uh, Iwa-chan? You okay?” Tooru asked, poking his cheek sharply. </p>
<p>Hajime blinked and shook his head. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine, did–“ he shook his head once again. “Never mind, let’s keep walking.”</p>
<p>Tooru hummed. Slightly more suspicious now. “Ok<i>ay</i>, if you say so.”</p>
<p>After that frankly weird turn in conversation, Hajime pulled Tooru into a fairly cutesy café. One complete with vases of flowers on the tables and plump cushions on the seats. This was typically a place Tooru would trick Hajime into going to.</p>
<p>“Iwa-chan,” Tooru started, tapping a finger against the table as he glanced at the menu. He looked up and stared at Hajime. “Not that I’m complaining but...what are we doing here exactly?”</p>
<p>Hajime refused to meet his eyes. “You like these kinds of places don’t you?” He deflected. When Tooru didn’t respond, he finished with, “then don’t complain.”</p>
<p>Tooru narrowed his eyes. He’d let him have this one. He did like the atmosphere.</p>
<p>Throughout their small lunch, Tooru kept noticing how downright fidgety Hajime was. He kept glancing around the shop and staring at random pieces of decor. Normally, Tooru could pass that off as an interest in the interesting decor, but honestly, it was kind of ugly.</p>
<p>Tooru had to stop himself from tapping on his chin and humming contemplatively.</p>
<p>After that rather uneventful lunch date filled with obligatory selfies, they made their way back to the rental, and Hajime finally revealed their actual final destination.</p>
<p>“Venice Beach?” Tooru exclaimed, grabbing onto Hajime’s shoulder and shook it violently. Hajime let himself be shaken for about ten seconds before he swatted him away. “<i>The</i> Venice Beach? I thought you were never going to take me there!”</p>
<p>Hajime laughed at his excitement. “I knew you’d somehow drag us there someday, so I just did it instead.”</p>
<p>Tooru’s excitement dropped an increment. Hajime was lying, he could tell. The lying was the third thing that tipped him off. If he thought back on it, didn’t Hajime lie quite a bit today? They weren’t big, life-changing lies, but rather little white lies to throw him off of something.</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>Instead of investigating any of his suspicions, Tooru let it go. Which, yeah, a monumental achievement. Hajime had never done anything intentional to hurt him. He sat back in his seat and snuck a hand around Hajime’s bicep and squeezed, both as a reassurance to Hajime and himself. </p>
<p>Because, well, there was no way Hajime didn’t realize Tooru was suspicious. </p>
<p>The fourth and final tip-off was the random stop Hajime made on the strip, right in front of a pier. Tooru was jerked back when Hajime suddenly stopped, almost completely bowling over. He turned around to ask Hajime what his problem was but immediately froze at the sight in front of him.</p>
<p>Hajime—stoic, stalwart Iwaizumi Hajime—was down on one knee on the boardwalk. One hand was gripped tightly around something–</p>
<p><i>A ring, moron,</i> a voice that sounded suspiciously like his boyfriend hissed at him.</p>
<p>–the other hand clenching and unclenching at his side. The look on his face—the pure adoration and love—made Tooru freeze. This—a proposal? On Venice Beach?</p>
<p>“Tooru, I–“ Hajime started, his voice already a bit stuffed up.</p>
<p>“Hajime,” Tooru interrupted lowly, almost vindictively enjoying the shock on his face. “Are you seriously proposing to me right now?”</p>
<p>“I—yes? Obviously?” Hajime answered, still looking completely bewildered. “What the fuck else would I be doing?”</p>
<p>“You ass!” Tooru screeched. “You ruined my perfect proposal!” He started slapping Hajime’s arm. This asshole!</p>
<p>“I ruined your proposal? Yeah? Where’s it at then? I don’t see a proposal.” Hajime goaded, smirking at Tooru, shaking the box in his hand.</p>
<p>Tooru carefully got down on one knee, completely ignoring the crowd gathering around, and dug out a small box from his bag. Hajime was shocked into silence as he opened it, revealing a ring of his own. </p>
<p>“‘I don’t see a proposal,’” Tooru mocked, smirk completely overtaking his face.</p>
<p>“We can’t both propose to one another at the same time!” Hajime yelled, face turning an alarming shade of red. “You—put that ring away!” He swiped at Tooru’s hand, which he easily maneuvered away.</p>
<p>Tooru stuck his tongue out. “Too bad. You ruin my proposal, I ruin yours!”</p>
<p>“You fucking suck,” Hajime tried to sound angry, but he couldn’t keep the fondness out of his voice.</p>
<p>Ignoring the easy innuendo, Tooru said, “how about this then? We propose at the same time and whoever gets through their planned speech—the <i>entire</i> speech—first wins.”</p>
<p>“You’re on,” Hajime agreed easily.</p>
<p>They counted down from three and immediately started speeding through their proposals. </p>
<p>“Iwaizumi Hajime–“</p>
<p>“Oikawa Tooru–“</p>
<p>“You are the love of my life–“</p>
<p>“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about you–“</p>
<p>“You’ve always been there to pick me up when I’m down-“</p>
<p>“You’ve always been the partner I can be proud of–“</p>
<p>“We’ve always been together–“</p>
<p>“Let’s continue to be together forever–“</p>
<p>“Marry me?” They finished at the same time, practically panting. </p>
<p>There was a moment of silence before they both busted out laughing. </p>
<p>“How the hell did we manage to end at the same time?” Hajime asked, his forehead plonking onto Tooru’s shoulder. </p>
<p>Tooru passed a hand through Hajime’s hair before answering. “Well, they did always say we were perfectly in sync.”</p>
<p>Then, in perfect sync yet again, a quiet <i>yes</i> from both of them. They slid the rings onto their respective fingers and smiled. And, really, this should have been expected. </p>
<p>There was still something Tooru needed to know, though. </p>
<p>“Why now?” He asked much later, as they were making their way back to the rental. Tooru took a moment to admire their rings before turning his attention back to Hajime.</p>
<p>Hajime rubbed a hand on the back of his neck and refused to look at Tooru. His eyes kept darting around, never settling on one thing for too long. Though, they also flitted to their rings often. “Well...I just couldn’t wait any longer, you know? I couldn’t pretend like I wasn’t itching to propose to you anymore.” There was a minute pause. “Though, I’m guessing you already figured that out.”</p>
<p>Tooru hummed, a small smile on his lips. “Yeah, Iwa-chan was being just a <i>bit</i> too nice today to not be suspicious. It’s so weird when you go that long without insulting me.” Before Hajime could blow a gasket, Tooru continued with, “<i>but</i> the proposal definitely surprised me more.”</p>
<p>Hajime snorted. “I certainly hope so. I didn’t do all this planning for nothing.”</p>
<p>Tooru tugged them to a stop and grabbed Hajime’s face with his hands. He gently placed a kiss on his lips and smiled as he pulled back. “It was perfect.”</p>
<p>Hajime returned Tooru’s kiss with one of his own, just as gentle. “Yeah, I guess it was. Even if someone ruined it with their own.” </p>
<p>Right before Tooru could process what he said, Hajime booked it. It only took a few seconds before a distraught screech of <i>Iwa-chan!</i> and an accompanying cackle rang through the air.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks for reading!! this one has been in the works for a little bit but I finally finished it!! you can thank wes for some of the ingenious ideas sprinkled throughout</p>
<p>as always, kudos and comments are always appreciated!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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